Chair of Pharmacology and Toxicology

Reporting to the Executive Vice Chancellor and Dean of the College of Medicine, the next Chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology will ensure the growth and excellence of its educational and scientific programs, balancing both areas of priority for the Department. The Chair will be expected to maintain and expand research areas, garner support internally and externally to enhance resources, promote research partnerships within UAMS’s various institutes and clinical partners, and recruit and retain outstanding faculty. The successful Chair will have an opportunity to set and execute a strategic vision that will chart the course for this vitally important Department for years to come. For a visionary and collaborative leader, this is an exciting time to join UAMS, as it is immersed in its bold 10-year Vision 2029 strategic plan and continues to expand its impact across the state and region.

In this next Chair, the College seeks an exceptional scientist with the intellectual vision to develop and expand research within the Department. The successful Chair will possess significant leadership and communication skills, bring a record of outstanding science, and convey an understanding and commitment to the education mission. The Chair will provide effective and creative management to leverage current strengths and to build relationships across UAMS and with partners including Arkansas Children’s Hospital and Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System. The incumbent will continue to foster the positive culture of collaboration, partnership, and support that is fundamental to UAMS and the Department.

The Chair will oversee all faculty and administrative staff who sustain the Department’s educational, research, and operational efforts. As administrative head of the Department, the Chair will oversee the budget and compliance with grant, legislative, and institutional guidelines. The Chair will collaborate closely with other clinical, research, and educational leaders to spearhead interdisciplinary teams and lead cutting-edge projects, fully leveraging the tremendous collaboration opportunities that exist across UAMS. The Chair will recruit and support principal investigators and other faculty within the Department in efforts to secure NIH and other grant funding to support research priorities. Moreover, the Chair will ensure the delivery of excellent education and research training to medical, graduate students and residents.

About the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology

The Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology in the College of Medicine at UAMS in Little Rock, AR, includes 20 faculty engaged in research, education, and institutional service. Most faculty serve on national study sections and review groups and editorial boards of scientific journals. The vibrant environment also includes 40 administrative and research staff, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students. Faculty interact across campus with researchers from other College of Medicine departments and with colleagues in the College of Pharmacy and College of Public Health. The department also is home to a NIGMS-funded T32 training grant in Systems Pharmacology and Toxicology (T-SPaT) that emphasizes using vertically integrated approaches for preclinical drug testing and toxicological evaluation of environmental and drug effects.  Department shared resources include a standard equipment core, the campus DNA Damage and Toxicology Core, and a Cardiovascular Phenotyping Core that are led by faculty experts.

The major areas of research in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology include cardiovascular and renal pharmacology, substance abuse, and cancer/toxicology. Most laboratories are funded by at least one federal agency. The sources for extramural funding for department laboratories include the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, Department of Justice, US Department of Agriculture, American Heart Association, and other nonprofit and industry funding sources. Several faculty members also hold Merit Awards from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs and the Central Arkansas Veterans Health System hospital and research facilities are adjacent to the UAMS campus as an additional research resource.  The education of undergraduate students is supported by a grant from the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET).

The Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology provides diverse training opportunities for PhD, MD, and MD/PhD students and postdoctoral fellows. It is home to the Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutics training track of the UAMS Graduate School and actively recruits and trains students that receive a doctorate degree in interdisciplinary biomedical sciences. Trainees are encouraged to prepare for leadership roles in academics, industry, and government. In addition to more traditional coursework, trainees may receive a 12-credit certificate in regulatory science to gain a broader understanding of the regulatory framework of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, clinical trials design, and drug safety assessment.  Faculty also teach in the medical school curriculum and contribute to education in the College of Pharmacy. Dissertation committees are designed to be interdisciplinary and include faculty advisors from nonclinical and clinical departments.

The Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology also has strong ties to the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute, and the UAMS Translational Research Institute that offer faculty and trainees additional training and learning opportunities.  Faculty have access to a strong network of institutional cores supported by the College of Medicine and the campus that enhance research capabilities and competitiveness. Entrepreneurial activities are encouraged and UAMS’ technology transfer office, BioVentures, LLC offers professional training and support to provide researchers with opportunities to leverage their discoveries into products to improve health outcomes.